Fantasy or Reality

A couple that I know went out with each other for seven years. The man had a successful job in his business career and the woman, who was my senior, had a stable educational job and a pretty figure. According to everyone's expectations, they got married one year ago. Of course, they looked like a perfect couple and made others envious, but they divorced by mutual agreement after three months. After I saw this case, I found that in Korea young people’s expectations for marriage and the reality of married life differ in terms of loneliness, money, and love.

First, people's expectations for marriage and the reality of married life differ in terms of loneliness. Many singles, who suffer lonesomeness, expect that there won’t be any loneliness after their wedding. They also hope to have fun things in their life because they watched a lot of dramas and movies that told them a marriage has only a good side. On the other hand, people who are married still feel lonely. Some spouses are always busy working until midnight and have to go to work even on weekends. In addition, 34.1% of Korean married men and 19.9% of Korean married women have cheated according to Asia Times. This shows that cheating on spouse can make married people feel lonelier.

Second, young people’s expectations for marriage and the reality of married life are different in regard to money. Young people expect to save a lot of money with their marriage. The reason is that they’ll share their house and furniture when they are married. Young people also hope to meet rich spouses. In contrast to their expectations, they will have to pay high living expenses like cost of a bigger house, children’s educational fees. In Korea, people have to pay expensive tuition starting with preschool. Besides, they have to spend unexpected money on the homes of their spouse’s parents and family events.

Last, young people’s expectations for marriage and the reality of married life differ in terms of love. Some people who are not married think that love is the only standard to choose a spouse. Even though their boyfriends don’t have a job and any social positions, or their parents oppose their future spouse, they expect their marriage to be successful. However, there are many other standards of maintaining a marriage such as a financial ability, similar view of life, personality, taste and family background. In Korea, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law conflicts are serious and can be a big social issue. These factors weaken the power of love.

I mentioned about differences between expectations for marriage and reality of married life in terms of three factors; loneliness, money and love. Even with these differences, many people rush into marriages. If you think it is worth it, you had better know the differences between expectation and reality for marriage and then minimize differences. Then, you will be able to choose if you are going to marry or not and your suitable partner.